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Tottenham Hotspur is reportedly a realistic destination for Romelu Lukaku in the summer.

The Lowdown: Lukaku’s struggles

It is safe to say that the Belgian has had his struggles since returning to Chelsea last summer, with a bust-up between Thomas Tuchel and him over an interview the striker gave claiming that he was unhappy at Stamford Bridge being widely reported.

On the pitch, he has not been able to have the sort of impact that you would expect from a player who cost a whopping £97.5m to sign from Inter Milan.

He has scored just 10 goals across all competitions so far this season, with only five in the Premier League (record of a mere seven touches of the ball in the Blues’ 1-0 win away to Crystal Palace, the fewest of any outfield player to feature for a full 90 minutes in a top-flight match since such records began being taken.

Thus, with Kai Havertz scoring in midweek in the Champions League against Lille in a false-nine position, there are now question marks over whether Lukaku should really play instead of him in the Carabao Cup final against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Latest: Tottenham move for Lukaku?

As per Calciomercato, Tottenham is now the ‘only realistic escape route’ for Lukaku if he is to move on in the summer.

The Belgium international reportedly ‘wants’ to leave the Blues, and he could make the switch to north London if the deal is right.

The Verdict: Shock

It would certainly be a shock if Lukaku moved across the capital to Spurs, even if his former manager Antonio Conte is in charge at N17.

Having excelled under the Italian’s management, scoring no fewer than 64 times and supplying a further 17 assists in just 95 matches under the 52-year-old at Inter (Transfermarkt), it would not be a surprise if Conte wanted to work with him once more.

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The Italian even called the 28-year-old a ‘gentle giant’ when he was managing at the San Siro, so it seems clear that they have a good relationship off the pitch as well.

However, it seems strange that Lukaku, who Thomas Tuchel has dubbed ‘world-class‘, would leave Chelsea after just one campaign when so much money was spent on him, especially to a major London rival in Tottenham.

In other news, Spurs are also eyeing a move for this ‘quality’ playmaker

Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino has emerged as an unlikely hero in recent weeks, popping up with some big goals in cup games – including a brace against Norwich City in the week – leading him to be dubbed a “new Luis Suarez” due to the former Kop hero’s history of also terrorising the Canaries.

The Japan international has netted a goal every 47 minutes this season in the Premier League, as well as a goal every 68 minutes in the FA Cup and every 77 minutes in the Carabao Cup – and it would be harsh to pin that all down to him mainly appearing off the bench when teams are already tired.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp labelled him “incredible” after the match in midweek, while experienced midfielder James Milner also gave him some high praise, saying: “What a guy, what a player. He’s patient. Every time he comes in and he delivers.

“He just carried on. He’s brilliant in training. Great temperament. I’m absolutely delighted for him.”

The performance should be enough for Klopp to decide on giving him more chances in the Premier League from the start, beginning with this evening’s game against West Ham, where he could really give Pablo Fornals and Aaron Cresswell nightmares should he be given the nod.

Statistically, Minamino is one of the best wingers in the world right now at pressing high and defending from the front, ranking in the top 1% in Europe’s top five leagues and continental competitions for successful pressures with 7.88 per 90; and also for pressures in the middle third, with 12.82 per 90.

With an attack as good as Liverpool’s, it’s hard to pick a player to drop. However, one man who could benefit from a rest is Diogo Jota. The Portuguese forward has suffered a slight dip in form since his brace against Leicester in the second week of February, failing to register a goal or assist in his four games since.

The 25-year-old has featured in every single Liverpool league game since mid-October and covered well for Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane while the star duo were at the Africa Cup of Nations.

Minamino’s recent form could provide Klopp with a good opportunity to not only rest Jota over the next few weeks, but also test out whether or not the 27-year-old can truly reach a new level of his game and put in some equally impressive performances in the Premier League with goals and assists.

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If the Japanese maestro carries his cup form into this evening’s clash and is given an overdue first league start of the campaign, he could terrorise West Ham’s backline.

In other news: Liverpool dealt big injury setback ahead of West Ham clash, fans surely gutted

Following a season in which Ivan Toney scored 26 goals and registered seven assists over 39 appearances in all competitions, Celtic’s interest in signing the centre-forward in the summer of 2020 would not have come as a surprise to many.

Indeed, the Bhoys were reported to have had a £5m bid rejected for the then Peterborough United striker, with the Posh holding out for a figure closer to the £10m mark in order to part with the hitman.

And, while Celtic were dithering, Brentford stepped in with a bid of an initial £6.5m – rising to £10m with add ons – for the striker, which the League One side swiftly accepted, seeing Toney sign a five-year deal with the Bees.

Speaking about the Bhoys’ interest in his services back in 2021, Toney revealed just how close he came to making a switch to Parkhead, stating: “Yeah, that was close. I spoke to a few people there and I spoke to the manager, but just couldn’t get a deal over the line.”

Instead, Celtic opted for a £5m swoop for West Ham United’s Albian Ajeti, a player who is already being linked with a move away from Glasgow after scoring just nine goals in 48 appearances for the Hoops.

Meanwhile, Toney has flourished at Brentford, scoring 33 goals and providing ten assists over promotion-winning Championship campaign last season, and having bagged nine goals and registered two assists over 23 Premier League outings this term.

So impressive has the £31k-per-week forward been that the likes of Everton and Chelsea are believed to have taken an interest in the £28.8m-rated hitman, with the Peterborough United chairman, Barry Fry, suggesting that Brentford could demand a figure of up to £50m in order to part with the 25-year-old.

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As such, considering the contrasting trajectories of Toney and Ajeti, in addition to just how close Celtic came to signing the former, it is clear to see that Peter Lawwell and the Bhoys had a nightmare when failing to pull the trigger on the centre-forward who Fry dubbed a “revelation” – a decision that has quite evidently cost Celtic dearly.

In other news: Ange could unearth Celtic’s next Ajer in 18 y/o “complete leader” who “nothing fazes”

The Athletic’s Patrick Boyland has defended Everton winger Anthony Gordon after the Toffees’ embarrassing display against Tottenham.

The Lowdown: Poor performances

Apart from their all four of their other Premier League games with the ex-Chelsea man in charge.

However, Monday night’s display against Tottenham was the worst of the lot, with a number of extremely poor performances taking place.

As per statistical experts SofaScore, Everton’s average rating across the team was 6.16, a monumental difference when compared with Spurs’ 7.41. The Toffees even had four players rated below a six, with Jordan Pickford on the receiving end of a very poor 4.9 rating.

The Latest: Boyland defends Gordon

One of the only positives for Lampard was Anthony Gordon, due to the determination he put in throughout. The 21-year-old had an 84% pass completion rate and made four successful dribble attempts, whilst winning an enormous 12 ground duels (via SofaScore).

Taking to Twitter, Boyland defended Gordon after the game, who was pictured clapping to the away crowd.

“Gordon goes over to clap the remaining Everton fans, gets applause back. Deserves that for the effort he put in. Raises his hand up apologetically and then limps off. Wasn’t on him”

The Verdict: Deserves more?

At just 21 years old, Gordon has played a substantial part in Everton’s season. He has made 22 Premier League appearances, 14 of which came in the starting XI.

When compared with some of the dire performances in the Spurs game, it was evident that Gordon deserved better around him, as a number of players seemingly looked disinterested after the first few goals went flying in.

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This isn’t the first time the winger has been singled out for praise. When Everton drew 1-1 with Manchester United in October, former Toffees attacker James McFadden hailed the youngster’s display as “sensational”.

Thus, if this pattern continues to occur, it would not be surprising to see transfer news arise, especially if Everton get relegated this season.

In other news: Everton: Pickford, Coleman and Keane’s nightmare performances vs Spurs

The mid-season transfer window is well behind us, but there is a lot of transfer talk going on across the 20 EPL teams. Mo Salah stalled talks with Liverpool, Cristiano Ronaldo’s projected move out of England, and Luis Suarez mooted EPL return have been making headlines in the last few days. 

As per reports, Chelsea could be locked out of any new business, meaning they could lose some of their stars who will be out of contract in the summer. A new club buyer is not forthcoming, but there has been a lot of interest lately. 

Newcastle’s upturn at St. James means new owners could sanction big signings in the summer to make the Magpies an elite European franchise. Until then, we’ll be looking at some of the news making headlines in the EPL transfer front on top sportsbooks as Vwin99.

Arsenal considering Coutinho move

29-year-old Brazilian Phillipe Coutinho is having a fantastic season at Aston Villa. The former Liverpool star’s performances for Steven Gerrard’s team have not gone unnoticed since his return to the Premier League. He has bagged four goals and provided three assists in nine appearances for Villa.  

Coutinho is on loan at Aston Villa from Barcelona, but the Catalans would listen to offers of €40 for the Brazilian. Gerrard is aware of the challenges Coutinho’s wage demands could mean, but he still says he’d wish to sign him permanently in May.

Arsenal is also interested in signing Coutinho to bolster their midfield for next season, with Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United also interested in signing.

Suarez for Villa?

35-year old former Liverpool and Barcelona striker Luis Suarez could be on his way out of Atletico Madrid this summer. Several teams have already been sounded out, but Aston Villa look to be the most solid destination.  

The reports could be heightened given that Steven Gerrard is Aston Villa’s manager and had tremendous success playing alongside Suarez for Liverpool. Considering Coutinho recently moved to Villa Park, it’s easy to see why this deal looks likely.

Dybala to Spurs

Tottenham is among many clubs interested in acquiring Juventus forward Paulo Dybala on a free transfer this summer. After disagreeing on a new contract with Juventus, the Argentine is free to speak to other clubs, with Tottenham reportedly one among them.

Inter Milan, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid are all said to be in talks with Dybala, which shows just how highly-rated the striker is. Spurs will be hoping that a transfer to the Premier League and the English capital, as well as a big wage package, would be enough to persuade the forward to join them. Conte’s links in the Italian Serie A could be key if any deal will be reached between the player and Spurs. 

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Wijnaldum’s Newcastle return a possibility

Dutch midfielder Gini Wijnaldum’s situation at PSG is not hidden from the public, and one possible destination for the former Liverpool star is St. James Park. Interestingly, it was at Newcastle where Gini made his name, sounding Liverpool to go for his signature.

New owners may not have a problem with the wage demands for Gini, and the fact that he was a cult-hero at St. James gives these rumours more credibility. 

Photo by Unsplash

Newcastle United are on course to avoid relegation to the Championship as Eddie Howe has galvanised the club in recent months.

The Magpies are nine points clear of the bottom three as it stands and have only lost two of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.

Howe has led them out of the relegation zone and may look to restructure his squad with incomings and outgoings in the summer. Who could be facing the axe?

Sell him

One player who the 44-year-old must brutally axe from the club at the end of the season is midfielder Jeff Hendrick, who is currently on loan at QPR in the Championship.

The 30-year-old’s current contract with the Magpies does not expire until 2024, having signed for the Tynesiders two years ago. This means that the club must cut ties with him in the summer, or else he will continue to pick up a wage for another two years without contributing much on the field.

Toon reporter Scott Wilson previously dubbed him a “liability”, while club legend Steve Howey once ripped into the midfielder for a sending off which he deemed “embarrassingly bad”.

That quote from Howey can also be used to describe how Hendrick has played for the club in the Premier League since 2020. He has not been good enough for a top-flight team for a number of years, and it is now time to finally axe him on a permanent basis.

Since the start of the 2018/19 campaign, his SofaScore rating of 6.63 across just three outings this term is the best he has managed. He registered scores of 6.51, 6.55 and 6.58 respectively across the three seasons leading up to the current one, which shows that he has consistently underperformed and failed to impress for both Burnley and Newcastle. Indeed, he ranked a pitiful 25th out of 26 in the Toon squad for SofaScore ratings last season.

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Therefore, the £50k-per-week dud must not be at St James’ Park by the end of the summer transfer window. Howe must push the club to sell him before the end of August or, at the very least, loan him out for the entire 2022/23 campaign with an option for the other club to sign him at the end of that agreement.

His statistics in the top flight are horrific and do not suggest that he will be a player of use to the head coach heading into next season. At the age of 30, Hendrick is entering the twilight of his career, and the Magpies may not have a better chance to cash in on him before he regresses further and his value dwindles with age.

AND in other news, Left for £0, now the next Sancho: NUFC will have nightmares over 18 y/o “huge talent”…

It is ‘hugely important’ that Celtic centre-back Christopher Jullien enjoys more playing time after injury, says Ben Dinnery.

The Lowdown: Jullien’s injury woes

The 29-year-old has suffered a torrid time of things in the injury department over the past 18 months, seeing himself sidelined for almost that entire period.

Jullien returned from a year out with a knee injury back in January but he has continued to find first-team football hard to come by at Celtic, appearing for just 16 minutes in 2022 to date.

The Hoops are now in the final straight in their Scottish Premiership title battle with Rangers and with multiple domestic competitions still to play for it could be that Jullien is finally called upon at some point.

The Latest: Dinnery provides his thoughts

Speaking to Football Insider, Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site, stressed the importance of the defender getting minutes in his legs, as he looks to make a full recovery:

“These minutes are hugely important. You’ve got to manage your squad. You need to ensure that those players on the fringes are ready and engaged should they be needed.

“But also for Jullien, it’s an opportunity to go out there and build that confidence that he’s over that knee injury.  Hopefully, he can get a little bit of momentum going now.

“I’m sure he has one eye on getting a good pre-season behind him and pushing for first-team contention next season.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-23/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Could still play a key role

In truth, it is easier said than done when it comes to Ange Postecoglou throwing Jullien back into the team, given the significance of their remaining fixtures.

If the Frenchman is not up to speed, it could end up having a negative impact on Celtic’s title charge, at a time when Cameron Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt are performing well at centre-back.

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The best bet is to hopefully bring Jullien on in games that are already won late in the day, allowing him to slowly get match practice back in his legs. A rushed return could have an adverse effect, both on him and the Hoops, and he should be looking at next season as a more realistic aim.

In other news, a journalist has reacted to a ‘lift’ for Celtic. Read more here.

Chelsea are exploring a number of forward options ahead of the January transfer window, as BlueCo continue to pursue stars of the future.

Blues welcome back two forwards ahead of Villa clash

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca will be boosted by the return of Liam Delap and Estevao when Aston Villa visit Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Unai Emery’s side are in red hot form, winning ten matches on the bounce in all competitions after their 2-1 win against Manchester United.

Delap’s recovery from the shoulder injury he sustained during the draw with Bournemouth on December 6 is reason to be particularly cheerful as it had looked like being a lengthier lay-off for the £30million striker.

The 22-year-old is yet to score his first Premier League goal since moving from Ipswich in the summer, having missed around ten weeks of the season, mostly with a groin problem picked up on his first home start in August.

The return of Estevao, who has not played since coming on as a late substitute in the December 13 win over Everton, also reinforces Maresca’s options.

“Estevao is available for Saturday and also Liam Delap,” the Italian said. “We didn’t know exactly how long (Delap) needed to be out. Very happy for both.”

Related Chelsea have already agreed to sign their answer to Semenyo in 2026

The incredible youngster could be even better for Chelsea than Semenyo would have ever been.

Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes

The Blues will look to reinforce their squad in January as they push for a spot in the top five, but their latest transfer target is one for the future.

Chelsea scouting Saint-Étienne teenager N'Guessan

According to Simon Johnson, writing for The Athletic, Chelsea are scouting ‘many young talents’ in France, including some at sister club Strasbourg.

Rennes centre-back Jeremy Jacquet and Saint-Etienne forward Djylian N’Guessan are both being monitored, with the latter an extremely raw and inexperienced talent.

The Blues have made a habit of recruiting stars of the future before loaning them out in recent years, and N’Guessan could be a perfect candidate for that model having made just ten appearances for Saint-Étienne’s first team, scoring once.

N’Guessan’s career so far

Apps (goals)

Saint-Étienne

10 (1)

Saint-Étienne B

9 (2)

Saint-Étienne U19

13 (8)

Youth football channel Eyeball Football calls the 17 year-old an “extremely talented forward, using his tall and agile frame to create goal-scoring opportunities”.

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The teenager has been spectacular at youth level for France, scoring 23 times in 25 games for France’s U16 and U17 sides.

Jacquet meanwhile is attracting interest from a number of top sides, with the 20 year-old defender being monitored by the Blues, Arsenal and Real Madrid.

West Ham United still have a crucial period of their season left to get through in order to finish as high up the Premier League table as they can and potentially winning the Europa League.

However, with the upcoming summer transfer window in mind, it seems as though a clue has been dropped over one potential deal that may or may not take place once the season comes to an end.

What’s the talk?

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones had this to say on the situation regarding West Ham’s interest in signing £20.7m-rated Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic after a report emerged claiming that the club have a gentleman’s agreement with the player’s agent regarding a potential summer transfer move.

He said: “I think he turned them down once before. I don’t know of any agreement like that, that is in place.

“Maybe there is and I haven’t heard of it, but he’s a player they’ve undoubtedly liked in the past.”

The player was supposedly available for just £13m over the winter.

Not good news for the Hammers

As many West Ham fans will remember, the club were linked with a move for the player Sacha Pisani dubbed a “beast” back in the previous summer transfer window before they secured a deal for Kurt Zouma from fellow Premier League side Chelsea.

Having remained in Italy with Fiorentina, the centre-back has shown the Hammers exactly why they should have secured his signature when they had the chance.

With 26 league appearances under his belt, the 24-year-old has racked up a total of 101 combined tackles and interceptions, the highest of any player at the club, as well as 74 clearances, also more than any of his teammates.

This highlights just what a capable defender he is and why the Hammers were after him last summer.

Taking into account what Jones had to say about him having no knowledge of any gentleman’s agreement that would see the defender make the move to the London Stadium, this will surely be a disappointment for the Hammers fans and their hope of seeing the defender join.

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With Milenkovic actually turning down a move to the east London club when they were previously after him, this certainly wouldn’t go down well with the West Ham supporters either.

Current Hammers centre-back Issa Diop has recently been linked with a move to Lyon in the summer, the club should try and persuade the Fiorentina defender to once again sign to them and see if he can bring his talent to England.

In other news: Big worry: West Ham dealt fresh injury setback that’ll have many supporters sweating

Newcastle United were active throughout the January transfer window as they made a number of signings to bolster Eddie Howe’s squad.

The Magpies made a host of fresh additions to their ranks, including Bruno Guimaraes, Chris Wood, Matt Targett, Dan Burn and Kieran Trippier.

However, not every player that they wanted to bring to St James’ Park ended up making the switch, as they failed to land some of their targets.

One man that the club reportedly wanted to sign was Mainz centre-forward Jean-Philippe Mateta. The Toon were said to have made a £20m offer to snap him up ahead of Crystal Palace, but the south London outfit eventually signed him to a permanent deal, duly ending Newcastle’s chances of landing him.

PIF brought in Wood from Burnley to improve Howe’s options in the number nine position, but he has scored just one Premier League goal for the club so far across 11 starts in place of the injured Callum Wilson.

How do Mateta and the ex-Clarets marksman compare for their respective clubs?

As you can see in the graphic above, the Palace striker offers more than the New Zealand international on and off the ball for his side. He has scored more goals from fewer starts, whilst pressing more from the front and completing a higher percentage of his passes.

Journalist Alex Howell dubbed the Frenchman a “cult hero” for Palace and it is easy to see why the supporters have been able to take to him. In Europe’s top five leagues, he ranks in the 89th percentile for pressures and the 95th percentile for clearances, which shows that he works his socks off for the team. Supports love to see players who put in 100% on the pitch, and these statistics suggest that Mateta does exactly that.

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These statistics suggest that he would have been an upgrade on Wood. He has offered more of a goal threat than the Magpies colossus and his link-up play shows that his overall game has been more effective in the top flight, as he has more to his game with his ability in possession in terms of his passing and dribbling.

At 24, Mateta is also six years younger than the Newcastle marksman, which means that he would have had more long-term value to the club. Therefore, PIF had a big shocker by missing out on the Palace striker, who would have been a brilliant signing in comparison to the ex-Burnley machine, based on their respective form this season.

AND in other news, Newcastle now plotting huge £120k-p/w bid for £50m “destroyer”, he’d be Howe’s “rock”…